


Please Don't Leave Me

by kxtsukiyuri



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kinda, Mild Angst, Nightmares
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-18
Updated: 2016-10-18
Packaged: 2018-08-23 06:45:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8317861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kxtsukiyuri/pseuds/kxtsukiyuri
Summary: Ciel has a nightmare and regrets asking for help.





	

Sebastian regarded Ciel’s shaking form on the bed below him, having just been summoned into the room by the young Earl. Ciel looked up at him past the pillow he was clutching to his chest and through the haze of tears clouding his vision, trying to open his mouth to speak.

   “My lord? What is it you need?” Sebastian asked softly, setting his candelabra on Ciel’s side table. Ciel looked over at him and shook his head, letting the demon know he wasn't ready to talk yet. Sebastian nodded, sitting in a chair next to the bed to wait.

   “Of course, my lord. Take all the time you need.” Ciel nodded, hiding behind the pillow again. There was a part of him that hated this situation — he didn't want Sebastian seeing him like this, like a weak child too incapable to take care of himself. He'd only had a stupid, completely implausible nightmare, for Christ’s sake. He knew Sebastian would never and could never leave him, especially not if they were out in the field working for the Queen. But his fear had felt entirely too real, his mouth filled with the taste of iron and his hands stained red as he'd collapsed to the ground, a bullet having found its way into his stomach. He'd cried and cried, calling out for Sebastian, for anyone, but no one came.

   Ciel looked out past the pillow again just as a flash of lightning made Sebastian’s form a mere silhouette, yelping involuntarily at the crash of thunder that followed not a second later. Sebastian watched this play out calmly, clasping his hands and resting them on his knee. After a little while longer, Ciel sat up on the bed, still clutching the pillow but not up to his face. He gathered up his comforter around him, burying himself in the downy warmth and looking out at Sebastian, finally able to speak.

   “I —” He swallowed, trying to recall details of his dream in case his butler asked. “I had a nightmare. A preposterous one,” he clarified, seeming annoyed, “But a nightmare nonetheless.” Sebastian, of course, saw through his master’s thin veneer of displeasure, sensing the terror below the surface, but allowed Ciel to keep his pride.

   “Have you? It's been a while, hasn't it?” The demon asked, cocking his head slightly. Ciel nodded.

   “Yes, it has. Quite a while. But I suppose there's nothing to be done about one’s subconscious and its decisions, however unpleasant.” Sebastian smiled slightly at that. Even though Ciel was obviously shaken — at least enough that he flinched at another clap of thunder — he still managed to keep up his mask of aloofness.

   “May I ask what it was about, my young lord?” Ciel drew in a breath, sinking down slightly into his blanket nest.

   “I-it was silly.” He tried to deflect, embarrassed at his dream. Stupid, stupid dreams. _Stupid Ciel_ , he cursed himself. If he hadn't called for Sebastian, he would've been able to go back to sleep just fine on his own. He knew the demon would gently poke and prod to make him say what was wrong, but he didn't want to verbalize his fear of abandonment. It was childish, and he didn't want to look childish in front of a servant. But, Sebastian was no ordinary servant after all, so the dynamic was admittedly a little different than if he had asked for someone else.

   “Even silly dreams can have a lasting effect. Would it not be best to unpack what happened so as to avoid something like this again?” So he was really going to have to answer. Ciel sighed, trying to find the words.

   “I… I dreamed we were out working on orders from Her Majesty. Everything seemed to be going well until the culprit…. stepped out from the shadows and shot at me.” His eyes seemed to glaze over as he recounted the dream.

   “And you weren't there.” Ciel’s hands clenched and unclenched in the fluff of the pillow. “I called and called, but I was alone. I was dying, and I couldn't even save myself, couldn't even crawl to safety, I was just —” Another crash of thunder, another flinch, another unconscious nervous swallow. “Stuck.” He knew the risks of admitting that he needed Sebastian this much. After all, one would only have to look at Alois and what had happened between him and Claude to glean that a professional relationship was usually preferable between demon and contractor. However, there was something… different about Sebastian. Where Claude was clean, clipped, never saying more than was necessary, Sebastian knew how to put on an air of flattery and hospitality, making most every guest to the Phantomhive manor feel welcomed. And besides, Sebastian wouldn't have wanted to kill Ciel before his time was up anyway. His soul was evidently far too delectable a morsel to pass up that way.

   His anxieties assuaged, he looked up at Sebastian again, wiping his face.

   “Well? Any judgements?” He asked, sighing shakily. “I did call you in for some help, after all.” Sebastian gave a small half smile, nodding.

   “To me, it appears that this particular dream might have only been some way for your subconscious to get your fears out of your head. It certainly isn't premonitory, I can say that much. It would go against our contract if I left you so unattended.”

   “Yes… our contract.” Ciel nodded, mostly to himself. The protection Sebastian offered was simply a means to an end, keeping Ciel safe and mostly unharmed until the day their contract was up. Sebastian watched Ciel as he sat there on the bed, thinking quietly.

   “Is there anything else you need, my lord?” He asked after a little while longer, pulling the boy out of his thoughts. Ciel shook his head.

   “No, that will be all. Thank you, Sebastian.” He laid back on the bed as Sebastian stood and righted his blankets, tucking him back in. The butler picked up his candelabra, making to leave the room, but paused for a moment and looked down at Ciel, whose eyes were still open and seeming to scan the room. Sebastian watched him for a little longer, then tucked a stray piece of hair behind the boy’s ear, not garnering much of a reaction from him past a slight startled jolt. The demon hummed, stroking his gloved hand over the side of Ciel’s head, smiling.

   “Sweet dreams, my young lord.” He murmured as he stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Ciel laid there in the dark, blushing for some reason unknown to him for quite some time until he was able to close his eyes again, sleeping soundly and deeply.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for this fandom, so go easy on me if it's ooc. Comments, questions and kudos are encouraged and appreciated ^v^


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